A Spiritual Journey begins! Are you ready for it? VOLUME 30 NUMBER 2 February 2020 “The gateway to divine repentance has been opened: let us enter eagerly, purified in our bodies and observing abstinence from food and passions, as obedient servants of Christ who has called the world into the heavenly Kingdom. Let us offer to the King of all a tenth part of the whole year, that we may look with love upon His Resurrection.” ~Sessional hymn, Matins, Cheesefare Monday Dearest Spiritual Ohana, In the month of February, this blessed year, we enter into the “Moveable Festal Season.” The Orthodox Church has both the Moveable and the Immoveable Festal Seasons in the Liturgical Year. The immoveable part of the year, which comprises the majority part of any given year, is made up of festal dates that simply do not change. These include many of the Lord’s Feasts, the Theotokos’ Feasts and Feast Days of the Saints, such as: The Lord’s Nativity, Circumcision, Presentation into the Temple and Transfiguration. For the Theotokos, Her Nativity, Presentation into the Temple, Her Annunciation, and Her Dormition. For the Saints, most all of them do not move their date of commemoration, such as St. Nicholas on December 6th, St. Demetrios on October 26th, St. Katherine on November 25th, etc. The Moveable Festal Season is made up of approximately 1/10 of the entire year. It includes the following: (1) 4 preparatory Sundays leading up to and before Great Lent, (2) Great Lent, (3) Holy Week, (4) Pascha, (5) the Lord’s Ascension, (6) Holy Pentecost, ending with (7) the Sunday of All Saints. The “Moveable Festal Season” of services, prayers and readings is contained in two liturgical books, the “Triodion” and the “Pentecostarion.” Beginning with Great Vespers on Saturday, February 8th, we open the service book of the “Triodion.” The hymnography, the services and the readings in the Triodion take us on a journey to and through Great Lent and Holy Week, ending on Holy Saturday. The journey is not meant to be a ritualistic one of going through services devoid (Continued on page 2)
Transcript
A Spiritual Journey begins! Are you ready for it?
VOLUME 30 NUMBER 2
February 2020
“The gateway to divine repentance has been opened: let us enter eagerly, purified in our bodies and observing abstinence from food and passions, as obedient servants of Christ who has called the world into the heavenly Kingdom. Let us offer to the King of all a tenth part of the whole year, that we may look with love upon His Resurrection.” ~Sessional hymn, Matins, Cheesefare Monday
Dearest Spiritual Ohana, In the month of February, this blessed year, we
enter into the “Moveable Festal Season.” The Orthodox Church has both the Moveable and the Immoveable Festal Seasons in the Liturgical Year. The immoveable part of the year, which comprises
the majority part of any given year, is made up of festal dates that simply do not change. These include many of the Lord’s Feasts, the Theotokos’ Feasts and Feast Days of the Saints, such as: The Lord’s Nativity, Circumcision, Presentation into the Temple and Transfiguration. For the Theotokos, Her Nativity, Presentation into the Temple, Her Annunciation, and Her Dormition. For the Saints, most all of them do not move their date of commemoration, such as St. Nicholas on December 6th, St. Demetrios on October 26th, St. Katherine on November 25th, etc.
The Moveable Festal Season is made up of
approximately 1/10 of the entire year. It includes the following: (1) 4 preparatory Sundays leading up to and before Great Lent, (2) Great Lent, (3)Holy Week, (4) Pascha, (5) the Lord’s Ascension, (6) Holy Pentecost, ending with (7) the Sunday of All Saints.
The “Moveable Festal Season” of services,
prayers and readings is contained in two liturgical books, the “Triodion” and the “Pentecostarion.”
Beginning with Great Vespers on Saturday,
February 8th, we open the service book of the “Triodion.” The hymnography, the services and the readings in the Triodion take us on a journey to and through Great Lent and Holy Week, ending on Holy Saturday. The journey is not meant to be a ritualistic one of going through services devoid
(Continued on page 2)
2
of meaning and purpose, but one that is meant to take us on a meaningful spiritual journey to find our true selves as children of God and rediscover/discover a life of fulfillment in the Love, Mercy and Glory of Christ. This journey is transformative and is meant be a road/pathway to return to our true purpose in life which is to recognize that we are made in the “image and likeness” of God and that we are totally dependent on Him and that He is the fulfillment of our deepest desire and longing which is implanted within each and every living human being. This journey beckons us to take on prayer, fasting, repentance, almsgiving, self-emptying, humility, forgiveness as tools to open up our hearts for the Lord to enter them.
This journey, which we are about to embark on,
is meant to be a joyous experience, not a sad and somber one. It opens the doors of our hearts for the Lord to be a real and innate part of our lives. There is no greater joy than this! We have the free will and ability to choose to build a relationship with Him, as the Lord never imposes or forces us to do so.
I recommend an outstanding, profound and
helpful book to bring us into the right spirit of and
take the steps necessary into the period we are about to enter. The book, The Lenten Spring, by Fr. Thomas Hopko, is written in such a simple, straight-forward manner. It gives us the courage, inspiration and desire to take the journey into the Moveable Season of the Triodion. This book really helps us to live through all the moments before and into Great Lent and Holy Week and enter into a real, transformative and meaningful relationship with our Lord. So when we reach the celebration of Pascha/the Lord’s Ressurection, opening up the service book of the “Pentecostarion,” we will truly rejoice in the Lord’s Love, Mercy, Glory and the Victory He gave to us through His Victory over sin and especially Death.
Greek School; Julie Ličina, Web Master; Anita Higashi, Facebook
3
Announcements
Adult Religious Education We are currently working with a marvelous series,
“A Journey to Fullness” by Fr. Barnabas Powell to discover/rediscover
the fullness of our Orthodox Christian Faith.
———————————————————— We meet on available Sundays,
at 12:30 p.m., in the Conference Room
for learning, discussion and fellowship.
Please see Weekly Bulletins for updates and
for more information.
Attention Young Adults 18-30
_____
————————————— Young Adult Fellowship
meets on Wednesdays, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Theme for February: “Gratitude”
Check your Weekly Bulletin for any updates or changes in our venue.
If interested, please see Fr. Alexander.
If you would like to be added to the group email list, please email us at [email protected].
GREAT VESPERS Sat. 2/1, 2/8, 2/15 Vespers 5:30 pm
ST. HARALAMBOS Mon. 2/10 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30 am
MAUI SERVICES Sat. 2/22 Orthros/Liturgy 9:30/10:30 am
2ND SATURDAY OF SOULS Sat. 2/29 Orthros/Liturgy 8:30/9:30 am
Weekday Services in February
4
Our Vision Be a beacon of Orthodoxy in Hawaii
Our Mission
Proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people in accordance with the
Orthodox Faith.
Goals To sanctify and minister to the
spiritual growth and needs of the faithful through liturgical worship and
spiritual programs.
To safeguard and keep the traditions, values, and faith of the Orthodox
Church pure and undefiled.
Learn Greek!
Beginners
Sunday 12:00—1:00 PM
Beginners II
Friday 5:30—6:30 PM
Intermediate
Sunday 1:00 –2:00 PM
Advanced
Friday 6:30—7:30 PM
February Parish Council Teams
2/2 Andy
2/9 Roni
2/16 Cleo
2/23 John
Please remember in your prayers
Judy Economou
Elizabeth Gekas
John & Dina Giannakopoulos
Paul Kelley
Julie Ličina
Alice Marie Malick
The Melzack Family
George Missias
John Mitsis
Christina Yepez
and all those needing our prayers.
5
Dear SS Constantine & Helen Ohana,
Thank you to all the people and our Philoptochos who contributed school supplies and monetary donations for the School Supply Drive during the past holiday season. Your generous donations were greatly appreciated by the local school teachers!
Under Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, now, whoever works with children and youth at a church is required to take a background check and Youth Protection Training, which are provided through the Archdiocese. As of the end of January, all the Sunday School teachers have fulfilled or have been fulfilling these requirements.
The Protection Training reinforces our proper guidance and care toward our children. Even though we have to spend several hours to take the training, it is beneficial to us, our youth, and the whole community.
I thank our youth administrator, Chip Wheeler, and all the Sunday School teachers who took time to complete the background check and the training during their very busy schedules.
This month, I would like to share practical suggestions from the article, “6 Ways to Celebrate the Feast of the Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple” from Orthodox Motherhood.com.
1. Attend Divine Liturgy and Learn the
Troparion
The services are filled with beautiful imagery and symbolism about Christ as the Light of the World, which lead to excellent discussions with children.
2. Bring Home Blessed Candles Many churches bless candles at Divine Liturgy on
the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple because of St. Simeon’s reference to Christ as a Light of revelation to the Gentiles.
3. Light Up the House Another way to integrate the theme of light into
your celebration is to “light up your house.”
4. Talk about Churchings
The Orthodox tradition of churching–bringing a mother and child into the church 40 days after the birth of a baby–comes from the Jewish rite seen in this feast. This makes the feast an excellent time to tell the children about their own churching, to look at pictures, and to talk about the practice in general.
5. Call Elderly Relatives Two pious elderly saints play a major role in the
Feast of the Meeting of the Lord. This can serve as a good reminder to children of the importance of our elders and their wisdom. Perhaps children can call grandparents, great-grandparents, or other relatives on this day to maintain a vibrant relationship with the elders in their own life.
(continued on page 6)
6
(continued from page 5) 6. Learn More about St. Simeon Finally, the children can learn more about the life
of St. Simeon as taught by the church tradition. His story is a fascinating one of doubt and faith, of pa-tience and perseverance that is an example to all.
If you are interested in details of the 6 sugges-tions, you can read them by visiting
Recap: Last month’s highlight was that prayer is an encounter and a relationship with God. The Absence of God
The second item of importance is that a meeting face to face with God (through prayer) is always a moment of judgment for us. Remember the many passages in Scripture where we are told how bad it is to find oneself face to face with God because God is power, God is truth, God is purity. So when we don’t tangibly perceive God’s presence, our first thought we ought to have is one of gratitude. God is merciful. He does not come in an untimely way. He gives us a chance to judge ourselves, to understand and not come into His presence at a moment when it would mean condemnation To “meet” God, one must have something in common with Him, something that gives you eyes to see, perceptiveness to perceive.
Wisdom of Metropolitan Anthony Bloom “Beginning To Pray”
8
LEARN Byzantine Chant
Every Friday at 1:30pm
(with occasional exceptions– see weekly bulletin)
Ss Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Pacific
930 Lunalilo St. Honolulu, HI
All are welcomed to join the group. No vocal experience required.
This is a laity group under the direction of Rev. Fr. Alexander Leong.
Time commitment: 1.5 hr. practice sessions on Fridays
Catechumens, one on one, and is available to meet in small groups and
by conference call. The Catechism Series is available at: par-
tristicnectar.org For more information, please
contact Fr. Alexander.
Each individual/family is requested to sponsor a coffee hour one Sunday per year.
Sign up on the calendar posted outside the Social Hall or contact Frances R.
Instructions/tips for sponsoring a coffee hour are available in a 3-ring binder in a cupboard in the hall.
The Ladies of Philoptochos appreciate any donations of coffee supplies, including paper supplies to help defray some of the coffee hour expenses.
If you are hesitant to prepare and serve a coffee hour yourself, consider making a monetary donation.
Please do not bring non-Lenten food including cake & ice cream during fasting periods.
C
O
F
F
E
E
H
O
U
R
Thank you to our January
Sunday Coffee Hour Sponsors!
1/5 Peter Hwu
1/12 Epiphany Celebration / AYC Fundraiser
1/19 Pastoral Visit
1/26 Vasilopita
9
Dance Group News
We had a wonderful Glendi 2020, our Fundraiser for FDF. (Folk Dance Festival Competition in Anaheim, California over President's Day Weekend.) Gia and the Chicago people traveled so far to be with us Glendi night. It was special. We also had our Canadians with us, and it was special to see them again--plus all the local people who support us.
Everyone hopes to win something at FDF, but there is lots more to
going to FDF than winning. The meeting up with other Orthodox friends we have met through the years of going to FDF that we can-not easily do living in Hawaii. Our children meet with friends they have met at St Nicholas Ranch and the Greek Immersion Program. We have wonderful workshops to go to given by priests for ages young to parents, and Vespers and Church. The dancers learn they have to work hard and produce a product to take to FDF worthy of other dance groups. When we come back from FDF, the judges will tell us what we did correctly and incorrectly. So we do get feedback from our performance.
What is important is that the dancers continue to want to go to
FDF. Each group practiced a minimum of 3 hours per week from the end of October 2019 to February 9, 2020. I practiced with Nisiot-opoula Friday night for 2 hours and Nisiotes Saturday night for 2 hours. Plus, each group has a 1-hour practice on Sundays. 3-1/2 months of practice. All dancers must show up at least 80% of the time for practices because I am there 100% of the time. Ask a danc-er why they want to go to FDF and give up all that time to practice. Like I have always said, “If you are Greek, you have to go to FDF. If you are not Greek, you have to go to FDF because you are Ortho-dox.” When we return from FDF we will have a break from dancing and resume again in the spring. Watch for info in the monthly bulle-tin.
Recycle friends, Mahalo for your continued support; this is our al-
ways ways fundraiser. Dianna Graves Dance Ministry Director
Share your news!
Announcements that you would like to see in the March issue of Shorelines should be submitted to the church office by February 15.
Please remember to contact the office to book the Social hall, Partition, Conference, Library and Kitchen. Policy posted upstairs.
Weekly Bulletin announcements should be submitted by noon on Thursday for the upcoming Sunday.
Email your announcement to [email protected], call 521-7220, or drop it by the office. Maui Orthodox Christian Mission reminds those who attend services on Maui to visit www.mauimission.org, call 61 7-838-7904 to verify services. or look for other activities that may be posted.
10
(
11
Some photo highlights of the recent pastoral visit of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
